WEBVTT HELPING THOSE PUPPIES, ONERESCUE AT A TIME.MEET JENNIFER KLUESNER.>> I AM DOG CRAZY.MAX: FOUR YEARS AGO, SHE STARTEDRESCUING DOGS.>> HOW MANY HAVE YOU HELPEDRESCUE?>> A LITTLE OVER 400.MAX: WE ALL HEAR ABOUT THEABUSE.BUT JENNIFER, SHE TAKES ACTION.FOUR DAYS AGO, SHE SAVED THISLITTLE GUY.>> HIS NAME IS SIMBA.MAX: IT'S BEEN A TOUGH ROAD FORTHE WIDE-EYED PRINCE.>> HE WAS ACTUALLY PARALYZED.MAX: SYMBA'S OWNERS IN MISSOURILEFT HIM OUTSIDE FOR 3 WEEKSAFTER A NEAR-FATAL FALL.THE COCKER-SHIHTZU MIX'S SAVINGGRACE?IOWA NATIVE JENNIFER KLUESNER,OF COURSE.MAX: THIS ISN'T HER FIRST TIMESAVING A PARALYZED PUP, EITHER.SHE'S HOPING, THROUGH POOLTHERAPY, AND A LITTLE LOVE,HE'LL BE ABLE TO WALK AGAIN.BUT FOR NOW, SYMBA'S NOT LETTINGANYTHING STOP HIM FROM BEING ADOG.MAKE NO MISTAKE, JENNIFER SAVEDHIS LIFE.>> MOST LIKELY, IF THEY COULDN'THAVE FOUND A GROUP TO TAKE HIMON, -- MAX: SHE'S ISN'T ASKING FOR ANYAWARDS.SHE JUST WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW,WHILE ADOPTING A STRAY CAN BE

A Des Moines woman who runs Jett and Monkey’s Dog Shoppe in the East Village describes herself as “dog crazy” and said she started devoting her life to saving abused dogs four years ago.

Advocates for animal rights say Iowa is notorious for being a “safe haven” for offending dog breeders due to a lag in animal cruelty laws, but Jennifer Kleusner has made it her mission to save hundreds of abused dogs across the Midwest.

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The Humane Society of the United States recently published its “Horrible Hundred” list, which documents the nation’s most abusive breeders -- nine of which can be found in Iowa.

Kluesner said she has rescued more than 400 dogs and has seen many cases of abuse. Four days ago, she saved a cocker shih-tzu named Symba, who was found paralyzed.

His owners had left him outside for three weeks in Missouri after a near-fatal fall, but Kluesner was his saving grace.

“Oh, he’s awesome,” she said, adding that she hopes pool therapy – and a little love – will help him walk again. “Right now, I just want to make him stand.”

“Most likely if they couldn’t have found a group to take him on, he would’ve been euthanized,” Kluesner said.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa calls Kluesner a hero, but she isn’t asking for rewards. She just wants people to know that adopting a stray can be hard, but it can also be rewarding.

“If 20 people stepped up and said, ‘Hey, I’ll foster one dog,’ … that would lighten the load of shelters,” she said. “They’d be able to rescue and bring in more dogs.”